http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/m...n29detain.html

Police ticket protesting students in Imperial Beach

11:48 a.m. March 29, 2006

IMPERIAL BEACH – About 150 students who walked out of Mar Vista High School Wednesday morning to protest proposed immigration reforms were arrested by police and sheriff's deputies in a community park and issued citations for daytime loitering.
The students were then transported by school buses back to school, said sheriff's Lt. Margaret Sanfilippo in Imperial Beach.


Sanfilippo said the decision was made to cite the protesters after the group became “more rambunctious” and began blocking streets and businesses near South Bay Community Park.

“With all protesters, it is the behavior of protesters that generates what type of response we have toward them,” she said. “With kids, it is a little different because they are breaking the law as soon as they leave school.”

Sanfilippo said there have been similar protests in the park this week, but the students stayed on the sidewalk and didn't block traffic.

“Yesterday the kids were compliant. They were staying on the sidewalk and voicing their issue,” she said. “It was done in an orderly fashion yesterday and we monitored their progress.”

Sanfilippo said officers contained the students in the park starting around 7:30 a.m. The last students were transported back to school around 9:45 a.m.